Intermittent Fasting as a Potential Therapeutic Instrument for Major Depression Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Preclinical Studies

Abstract

Recent studies have reported positive effects of Intermittent Fasting (IF) on metabolic parameters, cognition, and mood. However, regarding depressive symptoms, the effect of IF is not clear. The purpose of this review was to assess the available evidence on IF interventions for depression in both clinical and preclinical studies. Of the 23 included studies, 15 were performed on humans and 8 on animal models. The studies on rodents suggested that IF acts as a circadian regulator, improving neurotransmitter availability and increasing the levels of neurotrophic factors in the brain. However, the investigations on humans mainly evaluated healthy volunteers and showed a great heterogeneity regarding both the IF regimen studied and the observed effects on mood. Most available clinical trials have specific limitations, such as small sample sizes and uncontrolled designs. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted on five databases, PubMed, Cochrane, the Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science databases, BVS and Scopus, identifying 23 relevant studies up to 6 October 2022. IF has potentially relevant physiological effects for the treatment of mood disorders, but better designed studies and controlled evaluations are needed to evaluate its efficiency in the treatment of major depression.

Blunted anticipation but not consummation of food rewards in depression

“…Such mechanisms may contribute to the anti-depressive effects of fasting interventions (Berthelot et al, 2021;Murta et al, 2023). Taken together, capitalizing on metabolic signals might provide better treatments for motivational deficits in depression (Ferstl et al, 2022(Ferstl et al, , 2023.…”

“…Melancholic MDD is associated with HPA hyperactivity (Lamers et al, 2013), and preclinical studies have shown that ghrelin regulates stress-induced anxious behavior via the HPA axis (Spencer, 2012), supporting a link between homeostatic signals and affective states (Fahed et al, 2023) . Such mechanisms may contribute to the anti-depressive effects of fasting interventions (Berthelot et al, 2021; Murta et al, 2023). Taken together, capitalizing on metabolic signals might provide better treatments for motivational deficits in depression (Ferstl et al, 2022, 2023).…”

Chrononutrition in the Prevention and Management of Metabolic Disorders: A Literature Review

“…There is also recent evidence that chrononutrition behaviors such as TRE or TRF may have a potential impact on emotional state and mood. In this aspect, Murta et al, have suggested that IF may exert positive effects for the treatment of mood disorders [ 61 ]. However, most of the available clinical trials have specific limitations, such as small sample sizes and uncontrolled designs, highlighting the need to perform better-designed studies and controlled evaluations to assess its efficiency in the treatment of major depression [ 61 ].…”

Intermittent Fasting: Myths, Fakes and Truth on This Dietary Regimen Approach

“…The particular limitations of most clinical trials that are currently available include small sample sizes and uncontrolled designs. Although IF may have physiological effects that could be important in mood disorders, more thorough research and controlled trials are required to determine whether or not IF is effective in treating major depression, especially in psychiatric patients [135]. In fact, only two systematic reviews have been published to date [130,136], including a limited number of analyzed studies.…”